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1995 Johnson 115 Loud Rattle Sound from Engine

S

sloewen

New member
Johnson J115ELEOC has run fine but this past weekend I took it out and after a few minutes of running noticed a loud "rattle" sound coming from the engine. Shut it down, and it started up just fine, but I can hear the noise at idle, and at all speeds. At low RPMs the rattle is slower and increases in tempo with RPMs. Might have been a little low on power (felt like it was surging a bit), but other than that loud rattle noise it seemed fine. The way it sounded I guessed that something was hitting the flywheel on each revolution, but I am no mechanic!

Any suggestions what might be causing this noise?
 
Is it stilling running, using the VRO or is it disconnected and premixed 50:1?
It's time to take all spark plugs out and run a compression check on all 6 cylinders. If something hits the flywheel and that something is not metal then you will not hear a rattling, but rather a rubbing, scratching. If that something is metal, then you will hear "cling, cling" like you hit a copper bell. Rattling is from bearings, rods, rings rolling in there.
Good luck.
 
It is only a V-4 so check compression first and foremost.------Was VRO tested to make sure it was working ?---------Has waterpump been maintained ?----This sounds expensive to me !!
 
I know, eh. It should be a V4 with an optical ignition system - 90hp and 115hp. How come everybody tries to sell it 6 spark plugs???? Hey, Marineengine.com does too.
Hahaha
 
Well, I call it a rattle. If the prop had been broken and hitting something on each revolution I would not have been surprised when I first heard it - that kind of tempo to the sound. Of course I checked the prop, and then when I removed the engine cover realized the sound was from the engine.
 
You say "rattle" maybe it's a knock? If the wrist pins lose bearings they have play in them. Here's an easy check for excess clearance in the any crank bearings. Remove spark plugs, turn flywheel until the piston shows at top of stroke. Then turn just until it goes away from you. Use a wooden dowel or carefully use a large screwdriver to push on the piston. You shouldn't feel any movement. If you do the problem would require a complete tear down.
 
Hiyou guys, I got a similar problem but mine comes and goes. (Link ofVideo in the bottom of my post)
Igot a 2 stroke Johnson 150 hp 2001 (j150vlsif).
About3 weeks ago I went out with my wife for a ride, I always like to nostress the motor keep it at cruising speed 3500 to 4000 rpms but thistime I over push the motor to higher rpms (4500-6000).
Whilecruising this rattling noise came up, sounded like a rhythmic thinmetal, never heard that before. I stopped right of way and check themotor. There was nothing there to see, hear or smell, the noise wentaway.
SlowlyI start increasing the rpms and the noise came back.
Itook the boat back to the boat ramp in idle speed and the noisesometimes came back. It lose some what some power as well. No checkengine neither hot engine light came on, nothing.
Backin my house while flushing the motor I increased the rpms to see ifthere was any noise and there was nothing. Is a 2 stroke so was kindaloud to hear it anyways.
Itook my time looking around the motor and again, nothing was there tosee, hear or smell.
Aftermeeting and talking with some mechanics, they told me is the lowerunit, motor needs to be rebuild, this... and ....that.... you guysknow. Some of them told me that the first thing they would need to dois:
-Changethe air and fuel hoses
-Rebuildall the carbs.
-Inspectand clean the reed valves.
-Inspectand get new gaskets for the intake manifold.
-Inspect,clean and place liquid gasket in the cylinder head, new sparkplugs.
-Inspectthe lower unit.
-Changethe water pump and seals.
-Changeall the seals in the lower unit.
-Inspectthe lower unit gearcase and seals.

SoI order the service manual and all the above, I did it myself.
ITSDONE.

PersonallyI thought that the gears were done, because there was water in thelower unit.
Afterseeing and removing the gears and dog clutch, these were in perfectcondition.
Allthe seals , water pump and gear oil was replaced in the lowerunit.
Afterall the above was done (3 weeks after) I put the boat back on thewater with my fingers crossed, and there was the sound again, veryfine and quiet like before. No difference with the performance, noyet until I increased the rpms and load. The noise came back veryloud, is not an stable noise, it comes and goes. It's a metal, thinrattling noise. Hard to explain the noise but i did attached thevideo links below.
Somemechanics told me " run that son of the b, fast as you can".But I think that they just want some work for them after the boatgets worse doing that.
I'mreally going crazy with this, I need to know what else I can do orinspect.
Canbe something by the flywheel, I don't wanna mess with that if I don'thave to, because I don't know how to fix the timing, In the case Imessed up.
Canbe by the power pack? Just don't know !
I'MASKING FOR YOUR HELP HERE, I REALLY NEED TO GET THIS FIXED, I DONTKNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO, IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY, AND I'M TIRED OFSPENDING MORE MONEY IN THE WRONG PARTS, I just got this boat tooabout 7-8 months ago and it was running fine prior this.

Notes:While inspecting the reed valves, I got some access to the pistons,the look good from that angle but some of them (2) got a little play,in other words the are a little lose. But if that is the problem,wouldn't the noise be constant, no intermitent?
Pleasehelp!

Didcompression test and they were:
105-100
90-90
80-90

AlsoI removed all the spark plugs cover very slowly and you can see aspark as soon you remove it in every spark plug , meaning that thepistons are working good.

IREALLY THANK YOU GUYS AND APPRECIATE FOR YOUR HELP INADVANCE!!

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]https://youtu.be/Mg5swavl6-M[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]https://youtu.be/thxiQ2fAUN4[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]https://youtu.be/YwM2S9E6BQk[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]SEETHE VIDEO DESCRIPTION FOR DETAILS.[/FONT]
 
Hi there, I got a similar problem but mine comes and goes. (Link ofVideo in the bottom of my post)
Igot a 2 stroke Johnson 150 hp 2001 (j150vlsif).
About3 weeks ago I went out with my wife for a ride, I always like to nostress the motor keep it at cruising speed 3500 to 4000 rpms but thistime I over push the motor to higher rpms (4500-6000).
Whilecruising this rattling noise came up, sounded like a rhythmic thinmetal, never heard that before. I stopped right of way and check themotor. There was nothing there to see, hear or smell, the noise wentaway.
SlowlyI start increasing the rpms and the noise came back.
Itook the boat back to the boat ramp in idle speed and the noisesometimes came back. It lose some what some power as well. No checkengine neither hot engine light came on, nothing.
Backin my house while flushing the motor I increased the rpms to see ifthere was any noise and there was nothing. Is a 2 stroke so was kindaloud to hear it anyways.
Itook my time looking around the motor and again, nothing was there tosee, hear or smell.
Aftermeeting and talking with some mechanics, they told me is the lowerunit, motor needs to be rebuild, this... and ....that.... you guysknow. Some of them told me that the first thing they would need to dois:
-Changethe air and fuel hoses
-Rebuildall the carbs.
-Inspectand clean the reed valves.
-Inspectand get new gaskets for the intake manifold.
-Inspect,clean and place liquid gasket in the cylinder head, new sparkplugs.
-Inspectthe lower unit.
-Changethe water pump and seals.
-Changeall the seals in the lower unit.
-Inspectthe lower unit gearcase and seals.

SoI order the service manual and all the above, I did it myself.
ITSDONE.

PersonallyI thought that the gears were done, because there was water in thelower unit.
Afterseeing and removing the gears and dog clutch, these were in perfectcondition.
Allthe seals , water pump and gear oil was replaced in the lowerunit.
Afterall the above was done (3 weeks after) I put the boat back on thewater with my fingers crossed, and there was the sound again, veryfine and quiet like before. No difference with the performance, noyet until I increased the rpms and load. The noise came back veryloud, is not an stable noise, it comes and goes. It's a metal, thinrattling noise. Hard to explain the noise but i did attached thevideo links below.
Somemechanics told me " run that son of the b, fast as you can".But I think that they just want some work for them after the boatgets worse doing that.
I'mreally going crazy with this, I need to know what else I can do orinspect.
Canbe something by the flywheel, I don't wanna mess with that if I don'thave to, because I don't know how to fix the timing, In the case Imessed up.
Canbe by the power pack? Just don't know !
I'MASKING FOR YOUR HELP HERE, I REALLY NEED TO GET THIS FIXED, I DONTKNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO, IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY, AND I'M TIRED OFSPENDING MORE MONEY IN THE WRONG PARTS, I just got this boat tooabout 7-8 months ago and it was running fine prior this.

Notes:While inspecting the reed valves, I got some access to the pistons,the look good from that angle but some of them (2) got a little play,in other words the are a little lose. But if that is the problem,wouldn't the noise be constant, no intermitent?
Pleasehelp!

Didcompression test and they were:
105-100
90-90
80-90

AlsoI removed all the spark plugs cover very slowly and you can see aspark as soon you remove it in every spark plug , meaning that thepistons are working good.

IREALLY THANK YOU GUYS AND APPRECIATE FOR YOUR HELP INADVANCE!!

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]https://youtu.be/Mg5swavl6-M[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]https://youtu.be/thxiQ2fAUN4[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]https://youtu.be/YwM2S9E6BQk[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]SEETHE VIDEO DESCRIPTION FOR DETAILS.[/FONT]
 
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